Sewable soft circuits are a unique way to explore electronics and fashion. Using conductive stainless steel thread, you can sew circuits that power LED lights and other outputs in unique ways. The possibilities are truly endless!

We’ve tried a lot of different tutorials online, but we’ve come to the conclusion that it is best for novices (especially young children) to begin by making a simple BASIC SEWABLE CIRCUIT first before trying more advanced concepts. Our tutorial provides step-by-step instructions for creating a simple circuit that powers one LED light. Once that simplicity is understood in a hands-on manner, we move on to understanding switches with the SEWABLE WRIST CUFF WITH METAL SNAP SWITCH. After these concepts are mastered, you can explore parallel circuit designs with multiple LED lights or digital microcontrollers and sensors for truly fascinating e-textile creations. There are many websites and books that provide great information about sewable circuits, which we’ve listed our favorites below.

This book is hands-down the best simple visual introduction to electronics. Provides a thorough introduction to conductive materials and alternative techniques plus has great activity ideas. It’s out-of-print, but can be bought “used” online.

Switch Craft by Alison Lewis (2008)

Another great out-of-print book with good activity ideas and tutorials and can also bought “used” online.

The Digital Design Maker Camp was held at Centro on June 14-17. We had so much fun teaching the children about digital design this week! We used free software that is easily accessible to PC/Mac/tablets/smartphones. We explored 3D modeling to create our own characters and also explored computer programming to create our own animations and games. Parents/Guardians: We will continue to print their 3D models and will have them available for pick up at Centro after June 22nd. In the meantime, here’s some more information to keep your children designing for free all summer long:

A few years ago, a young boy took the world by storm with his inspiring cardboard arcade, Caine’s Arcade. Now, many people are joining in the fun by creating their own cardboard arcades. Whether they are collaborative efforts or just made to be tabletop fun, cardboard arcades are a great way to upcycle everyday materials and merge storytelling and simple machines. According to one of our favorite online video game design tools, Gamestar Mechanic, there are five elements of game design:

Space: The look and feel of a game from the design of its environment.

Components: The parts of the game, such as characters, mazes, enemies, etc.

Mechanics: The actions in the game, such as jumping and collecting.

Goals: The players complete tasks in order to achieve points and win the game.

Rules: The guide and instructions for how the game should be played.

Whether designing digital video games or non-digital cardboard games, these 5 elements of game design are needed to create games that are engaging and fun. Think about the games that you see when you walk into Chuck E. Cheese’s or other arcade settings. You are immediately drawn to games with bright colors but you might be hesitant to waste a token on a game that doesn’t look like fun or make sense. Some times it’s best to start discussing the 5 elements of game design by looking at simple cardboard arcade game examples (Pinball Game, Foosball Game, Plinko, Pachinko, Cardboard Skeeball). We like to have our own tabletop examples available for students to examine, which allows them to really discuss the 5 elements of game design and to gain hands-on exploration of the simple machines that make the games work. Once they talk about successful and unsuccessful game elements, they can delve in deeper to the examples to see how they are made and talk about how they could recreate their own versions. Then we give our students the following open-ended challenge (note: We do cardboard arcades as a culminating project after our students have completed some hands-on cardboard construction with simple machines):

Design Challenge: Keeping in mind the 5 elements of game design, use upcycling materials to build your own arcade game that fits on a tabletop and has at least one simple machine.

Sketch ideas and write about how simple machines and the 5 elements of game design will be used.

Share with the group and discuss.

Post-it Note Feedback: Everyone gives feedback to each other by using a post-it to write one thing you like and one suggestion for improvement (has to be actionable).

Build!!!!! Inspire the students to really consider how they can transform the recyclable materials to create added functionality and challenge.

User Testing: In groups of 3, students will test each other’s games and provide feedback on the 5 elements.

Redesign (as needed)

Play! A classroom arcade can be done in many ways. Whether its simply an hour of free-play or opening the arcade up to another classroom or a friends and family arcade night, letting the students share their arcade creations with others is priceless. Our kids have even gone so far as to create their own tickets and prizes!

Who doesn’t love the Angry Birds game? With the swipe of you finger on a touch screen you can sling silly little bird creatures toward teetering towers and watch them crumble as you earn precious points. These Angry Bird slingshots are modern day catapults, which are a simple machine called a lever. Catapults were the height of military sophistication back in the medieval age. These contraptions helped warriors to easily throw large heavy rocks at their enemies over great distances. (For background on simple machines, please read our previous post about ways to introduce the idea of simple machines and how you can “upcycle” everyday materials you already have access to.)

Almost any object can become a lever when it is rests upon or rotates around a fulcrum. By placing an object (load or resistance) on one side and applying pressure (force or effort) on the other side, the lever presses against or rotates around the fulcrum and moves the load. There are three classes of levers which depend upon the placement of the fulcrum and force (learn more about levers here on BrainPop). We like to demonstrate the most recognizable lever, a seesaw, using a paint stick stirrer (lever) and an empty toilet paper tube (fulcrum). When the fulcrum is placed in the middle of the lever you can apply gentle force to one side and watch it raise the load from the other side. If the fulcrum is moved away from the middle of the lever it alters the amount of force needed to move the load. If a lot of force is applied it turns our lever into a launcher. You can glue a plastic soda cap to one end of the paint stirrer stick and launch cotton balls or pom-poms into the air to demonstrate. This PBS Kids video is a another quick way to demonstrate a basic lever.

Levers can be even more fun when you create additional force by adding a spring, which is what truly gives a catapult lever its power. There are many types of catapult designs that range in complexity. There is even a group of people who make their own catapults to launch pumpkins each year (watch the Science Channel video here). You can create your own powerful tabletop catapult using a pencil as a lever, a twisted rubber band spring, and a sturdy box as your fulcrum (based on this tutorial by Lorriane at Ikat Bag). Let’s get ready to launch!

Gather Materials:

Medium-sized sturdy box for the base

Small cardboard box (matchbox, section of egg carton or scrap cardboard to make launching basket)

Thick rubber band (needs to be strong enough to be used as a spring)

Pencil (or wooden dowel rod)

Toothpicks (or wooden dowel rod cut to two pieces about 3″ each)

Pom-Poms (the load)

Scissors (or xacto knife)

Tape (masking tape or duct tape)

Optional decorative elements (markers, paint, feathers, etc.)

Consider using a yard stick on the floor to measure distance

Make It:

Tape the basket to the end of the pencil. You can use a section of an egg carton, a matchbox, or scrap cardboard. (This is the basket to hold your load and the pencil is the lever or arm of your catapult.)

Stand the box tall and remove one side of your box. (This will allow you to work inside of the box.)

Cut or fold a notch into the top of the box. (Your pencil lever will rest against this notch later.)

Cut a small slit in the middle of both sides of the box. The small slits should line up with the notch you cut/folded into the top of the box. (You will attach your rubber band spring here later.)

Thread the rubber band through the small slits on the two sides of the box. Secure the rubberband with toothpicks or wooden dowels on the outside of the box. Make sure your rubber band is sturdy. If it is too loose it will not work very well. (This will become your rubber band spring that will provide resistance to your pencil lever later.)

Twist the rubberband in the opposite direction that you want your pencil lever to launch. Slide the end of your pencil lever in between the two strands of twisted rubber band.

Hold the box with one hand while you use the other hand to pull the lever down to the table and release. The lever should swing to the top of the box and rest in your cut/folded notch.

Practice launching cotton balls and discuss the variables of the catapult:

Remember that the twisted tension of the rubber band is what generates the force.

The direction that you twist the rubber band is opposite of the direction you want to launch.

Balloons are super fun to play with. Almost every kid has blown up a balloon, let it go, and giggled as it chaotically flies to the ground. Though this is a common experience for kids, rarely have they discussed it in terms of the science behind it (when the air rushes to escape the balloon it causes thrust and propulsion similar to a rocket). When you attach the balloon to something that can attempt to control it’s path and that is when you can begin to see the true power and energy of the simple air that they put into the balloon (watch this video that compares balloons and rockets for more info).

Using the simple power of the balloon, you can easily construct a moving vehicle using simple machine wheel and axles. For background on this, please read our previous post about ways to introduce the idea of simple machines and how you can “upcycle” everyday materials you already have access to. Combining the power of the balloon and the movement of the wheel and axles, you can turn almost anything into a moving vehicle (i.e. small boxes, plastic soda bottles, berry cartons, etc.). We like to begin with building a very basic balloon-powered car to ensure that everyone successfully creates functioning wheel and axle combinations. Then we like to open up the challenge to allow them to choose any recyclable materials they want and build an open-ended balloon-powered car of their choice. The open-ended challenge provides a great opportunity to discuss design considerations and makes for very unique classroom drag races. Both activities are outlined below.

MAKE THE BASIC BALLOON-POWERED CAR

Gather Materials:

Balloons

Cardboard (you will need 3″x6″ for each base and reserve scraps for the wheels)

Tape (strong tape like Duct Tape works best)

Rulers

Pencils

Scissors (Xacto knives or box cutters optional)

Plastic drinking straws

Bamboo skewer sticks

Plastic soda bottle caps

Optional decorative elements (markers, paint, feathers, etc.)

Place tape on the floor to create a racetrack. Consider using a yard stick alongside to show distance for the students to compare.

Encourage students to base their design on what they learned from the basic balloon-powered car above. Ask them to consider:

How does weight play a role in speed? distance? path?

How could you add more power? (more balloons, etc.)

How could you design the car for increased speed? (drag racing)

How could you design the car for increased distance? (“fuel” economy)

How could you design the car for increased strength? (demolition derby)

Allow students to design their own balloon-powered car using any materials available (recyclable options plus bamboo skewers, etc.). Encourage students to choose varied materials for their bases in order to have variety. You want students to strive for creating the fastest car but you can also have a variety of “rewards” for different features and abilities.

Simple machines are an important science concept for students to explore because they can be observed in mechanisms all around us and can seem quite magical as they are used to make our routine tasks so much easier. Whether individually exploring the basic simple machines (wheel and axle, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, inclined plane, linkages, etc.) to understand their practical uses or combining them to create an outlandish Rube Goldberg machine, simple machines are super fun to experiment with.

We like to begin by discussing simple machines and doing some hands-on explorations of existing examples (i.e. window blinds, door stoppers and ramps, door knob, etc). You can add challenge by doing a scavenger hunt type inquiry activity where you give students 5-10 minutes to locate and identify as many simple machines as they can in the room. Having them create quick drawings of the mechanisms using arrows to illustrate force and movement also helps them to understand and communicate the basic science principles that allow the simple machine to function.

Once a working knowledge of simple machines is established you can move on to the magic of building mechanisms. We like to make ours out of recyclable materials, such as cardboard. It’s a great way to show students how they can transform and “upcycle” materials that were going to be thrown away. We collect useful recyclable materials all year for these types of projects and you’d be surprised how quickly you can amass an invaluable collection of unique objects that are just waiting for a new “life”.

Gather Materials:

Cardboard is our number one favorite material so we save almost all of our shipping boxes and pantry boxes (cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, etc.). We also like collecting empty toilet paper tubes, empty paper towel tubes, plastic soda bottles, plastic caps, plastic apple sauce and yogurt cups, plastic berry containers, egg cartons, and coffee canisters. It is super important that all of the plastic materials are rinsed and air dried otherwise they grow mold or attract ants (and that really isn’t the goal of this science experiment). 🙂

We also purchase inexpensive new items like popsicle sticks, toothpicks, straws (plain, bendable, smoothie, etc.), and bamboo skewers (cost about $1 per package). Though these items are technically new, they are important tools for adding increased functionality to our upcycled materials because they easily become axles and structural supports.

The Tinkering Studio has a great set of instructions for facilitating cardboard automata with children, including best practices considerations and ways of tying the sculpture to storytelling. We recommend letting the students experiment by building a generic automata with a simple cam follower and crank mechanism that will allow them to switch out different cams (circles, ovals, etc.). This allows them to really get hands-on experience with the different movement possibilities, which can further spark their design and let them experiment with how they can animate a scene or character to tell a story. These creations can be a great writing prompt to spark their storytelling imaginations or they can be a culminating activity to visualize an existing story they have written or previously read.

Design Experiments to Consider:

Try adding multiple cams for additional animated characters.

Try adding different components to create sounds related to the story.

Want to learn more? Check out these resources:

The Kids’ Book of Simple Machines: Cool Projects and Activities that Make Science Fun by Kelly Doudna

Paper is such a great medium. You can find it almost anywhere. With a couple of quick folds you can transform it from a fragile flat piece into a strong 3D object. Most people are familiar with origami, the art of folding paper – if not, learn more here with a Scholastic Origami Math lesson. But fewer people are familiar with modular origami, which is a technique that involves creating folded pieces that can be connected together to create larger 3D models. For example, you can fold a piece of paper like this to create one module:

You know what we love to build things with? Everyday objects, like popsicle sticks! Inexpensive, light-weight, and versatile, these are an easy way to construct a variety of things with tape or glue and can easily be decorated with marker, paper, or string. From bridges to buildings, creatures to words, you can really build almost anything with them. We like to get geeky and these materials and build mathematical sculptures. These are not only a great hands-on mathematical learning tool for exploring abstract concepts (physically scaffolding from 2D shapes to 3D forms), but can also become decorative sculptural lighting elements. Though you can make almost any angled shape or form with popsicle sticks, we recommend starting with building a cube first then working on building up to an icosahedron, which has 20 faces (each face is an equilateral triangle), 30 edges, and 12 vertices (5 edges meet at each vertex).